บททั้งหมดของ Secrets Behind The Mask: บทที่ 121 - บทที่ 130

Four Years AgoPrue Brooks stepped out of the aircraft and into a wall of humid air that hit her in the face. Almost straight away, sweat broke out on her skin. Papua New Guinea was loud in ways Washington never was. Somewhere beyond the chain-link fences and security, birds shrieked, men shouted, luggage carts rattled over cracked concrete. Life. Proper messy life. Not the polished life she had led in the States or the very proper schools she had attended. Daddy had wanted her to attend some finishing school in France; she had refused and worked instead for a nonprofit, 'Educating Our Future', helping underprivileged kids get a good education.She paused at the top of the mobile stairs for half a heartbeat, letting it sink in. Three weeks in Port Moresby. Three weeks before her father wrapped up his final overseas posting and they headed home for good. Back to the States. Back to the house in Savannah he hadn’t set foot in since her mother’s funeral. Back to a life that wouldn't invol

Nate shoved the phone back in his pocket and headed for the lobby at a jog, forcing himself to think like her. Which was impossible he wasn't a twenty old female. So he did his best.If he were a reckless, curious girl with a taste for trouble, what would he do?His jaw tightened as the answer came to him.He would go find life. The brightest, loudest, least controlled thing he could reach.Which meant he had about five minutes before she disappeared into the city properly. Looking for trouble. If one of his men had lost her, he would have crewed them a new one.“Of all the jobs,” he muttered, “I had to take the one with the diplomat’s daughter, who is going to be a pain in my ass."Nate burst through the hotel's front doors, scanning the street. The boulevard outside the hotel teemed with life, local vendors hawking fruit from makeshift stalls, taxis honking, pedestrians weaving through gaps in traffic with practiced ease. No sign of a blonde head among the sea of dark hair.The SUV

She spent the first part of the next morning having breakfast with her father in the hotel restaurant. Him reading documents as she drank coffee and watched the street through the window and occasionally pointed out things she found interesting. She didn't mind this was his job and she was gatecrashing.Nate sat three tables away, back to the wall, with a coffee he barely touched, watching the room.She couldn't wait to start her day, but she didn't want to seem too excited, because he might pick up on her energy and know something was off.Her father folded his papers and checked his watch. "I should head to the embassy. These meetings will likely run until mid-afternoon." He reached across to squeeze her hand. "Stay close to Mr Young, sweetheart.""Of course, Daddy." She kissed his cheek, all dutiful daughter sweetness. "Have a productive morning."As soon as her father disappeared through the restaurant doors, she turned her attention to Nate. He was already moving, crossing the di

His eyes flashed. "No. But that's not a bad idea.""Then how?" She knew he would, but she still wanted to know how he had done it."Not many women that look like you in Papua New Guinea." His voice was clipped, professional, but she caught the slight tightening around his eyes that he couldn't quite control. "I greased a few palms and got the intel I needed."She turned to face him fully then, one hip cocked against the serving counter. "Well, I'm nearly finished here. Ten minutes.""You're finished now."The quiet authority in his voice sent a shiver down her spine that she had absolutely no business enjoying. But before she could respond, Mary stepped between them like a woman who had dealt with far more difficult situations than one furious bodyguard."No, no, no." She wagged her wooden spoon at Nate. "She has been working hard all morning. You do not take someone away without feeding them first. It is rude."Nate opened his mouth. Mary was already steering him toward a small table

That night, she sat across from her father at a quiet corner table in the hotel roof top restaurant. The space was elegant in that understated way expensive hotels managed, white tablecloths, low lighting. Her father had insisted on dinner, just the two of them, a rare moment in-between his meetings until they were tied up. They would have some time at the end of the three weeks.Nate stood near the entrance, back to the wall, hands loose at his sides. Watching. Always watching. The man was always alert. Did he never relax?She couldn't help it. Her eyes drifted toward him for what had to be the tenth time since they'd sat down. Maybe the twentieth. She'd lost count somewhere between the appetizer and the wine her father had ordered. Nate may look completely at ease standing there, but she knew better now. Knew the way his eyes tracked movement, watching doorways, assessed threats in the span of a heartbeat. Knew the coiled tension that lived under all that stillness.Knew how his jaw